


Seeing things (for the first time)

by tringic



Category: Captain America - All Media Types, Iron Man - All Media Types, Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Fanart, M/M, Pre-Slash, Red String of Fate, Soulmate-Identifying Marks
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-06-01
Updated: 2017-06-01
Packaged: 2018-11-07 12:31:37
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,757
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11059038
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tringic/pseuds/tringic
Summary: Tony learned at a young age that it was better not to be different (Unless you were better than everyone else, then it was okay), and he'd always been grateful that he'd learned thatbeforehe learned that not everyone could see the red strings.





	Seeing things (for the first time)

**Author's Note:**

  * For [justanotherpipedream](https://archiveofourown.org/users/justanotherpipedream/gifts).



> So, this is completely different from what I usually do. I don't write much at all, and if I do it's not this style, so I'm not sure what happened, but I hope it works for you?
> 
> I had so much fun with all your prompts for this challenge, honestly they were great, and they taught me a lot about myself as well - that I have the attention span of a Goldfish, for instance, and that time will forever be my greatest nemesis, because I wanted to do at least three of them. It's been stressful but great at the same time. I hope you enjoy!

Tony learned at a young age that it was better not to be different (Unless you were better than everyone else, then it was okay), and he'd always been grateful that he'd learned that _before_ he learned that not everyone could see the red strings.

He'd tried asking his mother about them once, but she hadn't understood what he was talking about.

[Mommy, why don't I have a string?]  
[String? What kind of string, dear?]

It was soon after that he started noticing; even though people automatically seemed to move around each other's strings, they never in any way indicated that they could actually see them.

Eventually it became just one more reason why he was different. Tony was smarter than everyone his age, smarter than most people twice his age, really, he was the only person he knew without a string, and he was the only one who could see them. (Well, if that wasn't irony, then Alanis Morrisette could just go and write another song about it).

Sometimes it bothered him, mostly because he was constantly aware of the strings - and of avoiding them without having other people notice, which just became exhausting after a while - so he kept to himself a lot. 

He also wondered what it said about himself that he had no string. 

He'd figured out what they meant fairly quickly: they connected people that were in love - as if fate had drawn them together. It seemed too ridiculous to be true, even aside from the physics of it, but there was no other, more logical explanation... Jarvis and Ana had shared a string, one of the tightest ones he'd ever seen, and that pretty much confirmed all of it. 

Not having one sometimes made Tony feel like he was broken, like he'd never be important enough to anyone to deserve to be tied to them forever. Other times, as he grew older, it felt like a relief. 

As it turns out the outcome wasn't always happiness (his parents were connected), and at least this way he could do what he wanted without anyone caring too much.

Only once had he tried talking about it to anyone else. He'd been drunk at the time and Rhodey had been waving his hands animatedly while talking about some training exercise or another, and he'd just blurted it out.

"I like your string. It's a good string. Glad there's someone out there for you, buddy. My Rhodey. My Honey Bear."  
"Aww, Tones, thanks man"

It was just lucky that Rhodey had been even drunker than he was and hadn't remembered it the following day.

Eventually "no strings" just became a fact of life for him. In every sense of the word.

***

Everyone he met had a string.

And eventually, everyone found the person on the other end of their string. Sometimes he could even see it happening, see the lax string between two people as they met, and see it tightening as they got to know each other... even if it did take some time.

He never once met anyone without a string. Not even when Fury collected the biggest bunch of misfits he could find and threw them all together; Even the Alien God-Prince and Mister Patriotism himself had one; had someone meant just for them in this world. 

On his bad days that just made it feel like fate was fucking with him. On others it proved to him that Tony Stark was the most broken of them all, and the only thing he could do to counter that was to make himself useful. 

So he did.

He provided a home and a base of operations for his dysfunctional pseudo-family - and sometimes for the strays that Cap tended to bring home. (Food, a roof to sleep under, and some state-of-the-art tech was all anyone needed to survive anyway, right?) And it worked. Up to a point.

He knew Steve had been searching for the Winter Soldier. He'd heard the rumours, of course, and he'd done the research - knew who he was, what he'd done, and what had been done to him... but that didn't necessarily make it any easier to forgive.

And then one day they'd just shown up to the tower with him, looking dazed and bedraggled.

("He needs a safe place to lay low, I know it's a lot to ask, but I couldn't think of anywhere better")

Tony looked him up and down, habitually checking his connection, but what he saw stopped him in his tracks. The Winter Soldier did not have a string. Correction: The Winter Soldier did not have a string _either_. And Tony was unsure what that meant, so instead of answering, he just gave the Captain a short nod before turning on his heel and walking out.

"He'll come around, Buck" he heard him say, but the low rumble in reply was already being drowned out by the rushing in his ears. He was not, as he'd assumed for over forty years, the only one without a string. There was a new variable to the equation. But what did it mean?

At first he thought it might've been because he lost his arm (he'd never thought to observe the strings on amputees specifically, and why again was that?), but, no, it was the wrong arm for that. No, it could only mean that Barnes was at least as dysfunctional as he was, and that... was saying something. Although it also made sense, and Tony quickly decided it would probably be best if they just stayed out of each other's way.

***

Over the coming weeks he saw him around the tower occasionally - Barnes (regardless of anything, it felt wrong to keep calling him the Soldier) - always accompanied by Steve, and always looking at him with apprehension but calculating, as if he was trying to gauge him. It wasn't entirely comfortable, so Tony once again started spending more time in his lab. Bots were better than people anyway, much less complicated. But he should have known he couldn't hide forever.

Steve had tried to come talk to him, because he was Steve, saying that he understood, but to please give Bucky a chance. Tony had just shrugged and nodded where appropriate. Steve didn't know, and didn't need to know, how messed up two of his best friends really were. He couldn't know.

But eventually curiosity had started to get the better of Tony. The Winter Soldier not having a connection might've made sense; if anything could break a string it would probably be brainwashing, but there was no reason sergeant Barnes wouldn't have had one.

So had he? Tony found himself going back over the footage he'd collected and nowhere, not even in pictures from before the war, could he see even a hint of a string. This might not mean anything, because pictures didn't usually catch the strings, but if you knew what you were looking for you might see a hint of them, like an aura. Barnes didn't have one. Ever.

So, did fate always know they were going to screw up this bad? That seemed cruel and unusual, but then again also entirely possible, because who would trust fate?

It also set him to wondering if they might have more... unique features in common. He set to observing Barnes around the common areas. They still didn't talk, but Steve seemed pleased (he'd definitely heard him mutter a triumphant "progress" under his breath). His observations, however, never gave him any conclusive results. Either Barnes was very sneaky, or he couldn't see the strings.

***

It was a few weeks later, as Tony shuffled back into his lab after a coffee run, that he discovered that, yes, Barnes was indeed very sneaky...

"Jesus Christ, Robocop! Don't you know you're not supposed to scare people with a heart condition?!"

Barnes looked at least a little bit guilty.

"Why are you here, anyway?" Tony continued defensively.

"I... wanted to thank you, for everything you've done." Barnes said, sticking out his hand

"Oh, well, you're welcome" Tony deflated, "but you know I haven't done anything for you that I haven't for everyone else, right? You're not special."

Barnes raised an eyebrow. "Alright, but you still didn't have to. I know you know what I've done, and most people would have turned me away for it"

"It's all good, no need to..."

"Just shake my damn hand, Stark" Barnes growled, and Tony reached out and took his outstretched hand instinctively.

At the first touch, something shot through his system - like an electric shock, but less... concentrated.

He looked up at Barnes and saw the same doubtful look on his face. At the same time they pulled their hands apart, but the separation just caused another sensation. As if something was tugging on his hand.

Barnes meanwhile was looking down at his own hand, his mouth open. "Did you just..."

"Yes."

"Was that... no."

"Was that what?" Tony asked

"Did it feel to you like something was tugging on your pinky finger as we pulled away?"

It was Tony's turn to stare at his own hand. There was nothing there that was visible, and yet... "You can feel them" he whispered. His eyes shooting back up to Barnes, he demanded "Can you see them? The strings? Can you?"

Barnes blanched for a second, before nodding. "I always wondered... You really don't have one either, right?"

"Fuck."

"But what does this mean? Can you see one for either of us?"

"Nope" Toy said, popping his P, "I guess we're still too fucked up for that"

Barnes again raised an eyebrow at him. "Alright, no, I'll give you that one. But what... what does it mean for you, I mean?" he asked, looking apprehensive.

"Well, aside from the scientific implications, which even I have yet to have a break through on, I would take it to mean that someone somewhere has a plan for me - for us - after all - loathe as I am to admit it, because I never really believed in fate... She kind of screwed me over, you know?"

...but, if you want to, we should definitely run some experiments on this, and then we can maybe just go from there? Find out what it means for both of us, I mean, you're already living in my tower, we'd just need to get to know each other..."

Without warning, Tony's rambling was cut off with a tight hug...

...yeah, okay, this was kind of nice. Weird. But also nice.

Maybe this could work.


End file.
